One important thing to know about "play" is that it is a Developmentally Appropriate Practice. The National Association for the Education of Young Children defines Developmentally Appropriate Practice as teaching practices that respond to both children’s age and developmental stage. This is done by providing experiences that support children’s interests and achievement, yet are challenging enough to support their learning and developmental progress. Play is developmentally appropriate for many reasons. Play provides engaging social experiences where children have the opportunity to apply what they know in order to gain understanding of more unfamiliar concepts. Play supports individuality, allowing children to explore their own personal interests and abilities. While children are busy and engaged in something they view as play, a meaningful learning experience is being had. Whether play is child-guided, teacher-guided, or parent-guided, play exposes children to a variety of learning domains. In this way, play is a developmentally appropriate practice that provides an enjoyable and challenging process of learning that supports their physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive growth.
